TN: Vieux Donjon 1990 - 2009

WINE TALK
1

Vieux Donjon dinner notes:

2009 - dark red with a super ripe nose, fairly tannic, with a decent balance and good length, but it didn’t impress me.

2007 – also dark red but not as tannic or tight, nor as ripe, this was showing some nice spice notes, none of the heat I had feared, and was forward and drinkable with more complexity than the 09.

2006 – some nice spice notes here as well, mellowing and nice drinking now with a softer finish. Not sure where this is going, but good drinking at the moment.

2005 - nice slightly funky nose with mushroom, forest floor and some black pepper. Good concentration and length with some pepper on palate as well. Has a future. Should have bought this vintage.

2004 – colour was noticeably lighter on this one, and there was a marked difference in the nosed with the emphasis more on mature fruit with some waxy notes. Mellow and medium long with some dark cherry popping up near the end. Drinks well now.

2003 – Sweeter nose with excellent fruit levels and a good plummy nose with some spice. Mellow and long in the mouth, almost a tad New World in impression, I went back to it and notes cassis in the entry. Nice. Did buy this one!

2001 – ripe slightly funky nose of savoury mushroom and meat , medium weight, soft tannins and some pepper. Drinking well now – in a more classic idiom than some of the earlier vintages.

2000 - medium colour, more funk in the nose, settling down to dark fruit tinged with mushroom. Good fruit levels and acidity, lots of white pepper.

1999 – fairly funky cherry and anise nose, showing a little age in the colour. Mellow smooth and long, at a nice place now – very decent.

1998 – corked. Damn!

1995 - good colour, some blood and dark cherry in this nose, mellow, fully mature and smooth. Drink now.

1990 – lighter in colour, with nice peppery earthy nose with dark plummy fruit, and more plum on palate with a long smooth finish with soft tannins and final hints of pepper. I really liked this and it is at peak. If you have them, drink them – they won’t get any better but should hold medium term. First bottle I’ve opened of my stash.

2

thanks! I appreciate the notes

3

Did you find any hard edges to the 03? I opened it last week and it was certainly showing the vintage for me(which did make me regret not looking harder for the 05 or 01)

4

Thanks for the notes. I’ve been thinking of bringing a mag of the 06 to a dinner on Saturday.

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Thanks for sharing your notes with us. I’ve been planning to buy some of these wines both to lay down and consume now, and your notes will be helpful with that. [cheers.gif]

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With Duck Caillette and Rillettes, Parma Proscuitto, Cornichons and onion jam…

  • 2009 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Splashed decanted 45min prior to serving. Dark red. Ripe and juicy nose with notes of berries and plums with hints of herbs. Onto the palate this had a soft entry with decent tannins and acidity. There were grapey and dark berry flavours with the overall profile reminding me of an Aussie grenache. This showed a bit of alcohol but wasn’t too much. Easy drinking but I found this to be slightly one-dimensional and nothing to get excited about. Good. (86 pts.)
  • 2007 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Darker and more youthful looking than the ’09. At first the nose was also darker in profile than the 09 with aromas of dark berry fruit with hints of tarry notes too. After some time in the glass it seemed to open up and become less dark, more red fruited with a nice sweet spice note. This wasn’t as ripe as the ’09 but still had some warmth in the mouth. The longer it sat in the glass the more weight it seemed to put on and there is so much rich fruit here that the tannins and structure get masked. Good acidity and not the overripe and slightly disappointing wine I remembered from a few years ago. Drinking surprisingly well but this this will be a long lived wine and will reward patience. Very good. 89+ (89 pts.)
  • 2006 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Dark red colour. This had the nicest nose of the flight with dark red fruits, spice and hints of development. Not as ripe and less alcohol than the '07 and '09. Medium bodied this showed great balance with a good amount of tannin and acidity. The structure seems more prominent here than the ‘07 but I think that’s because there’s less ripe and rich fruit here and structure is easier to detect. On this night the '06 is giving as much pleasure as the '07 is, but it is clear to me that the ’07 has a lot more potential and will ultimately develop into the better wine. This is drinking quite well now and should go another 5-7 years no problem. Very good. 89+ (89 pts.)

With white and green asparagus, creamy demi-glaze with Morel mushrooms, Cervelas de Lyon…

  • 2005 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Opened and served 2 hours later. Dark red colour. This has the best nose so far. Showing nice development with notes of funk, mushrooms, earth and dark red fruits with a hint of pepper. Lots of structure on the palate with quite a bit of tannin and acidity matched well to the abundance of red and black fruits. There was a little bit of heat coming through on the palate but it wasn’t very intrusive. Was enjoyable to taste now, especially to see how it’s developing, but this has a long life ahead of it. Excellent. 91+ (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red in colour. Lots of herbal notes on the nose along with red fruits and white pepper aromas. In the mouth this was the freshest and lightest of the wines so far with good balance, high acidity, medium tannins and smooth mouthfeel. Drinking well now but not as good as the previous 3 times that I’ve had it. Excellent. (90 pts.)
  • 2003 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red colour. This was definitely the outlier in this flight with a very sweet profile on both the nose and palate. The fairly developed nose offered sweet and roasted red fruits with hints of blue fruit. Warm and soft in the mouth with low to medium acidity and decent tannins. This was the most developed of the flight. As it sat in the glass the alcohol seemed to become more prominent. Based on my previous experience with other 03 CdPs, this was better than I thought it would be. It had that delicious factor that reminded me of some Australian wines but this is not something I’d want to drink every day. Not sure how long it will last. Good. (87 pts.)

With Daube de Boeuf, Provencal red wine stew with beef cheecks, seasonal vegetables and fresh pasta…

  • 2000 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red colour. The nose here has lots of funk going on with dark fruits and hints of meat and pepper. Flavours of dark fruits, slightly stewed, with medium acidity and tannins and good length. This medium bodied wine is clean, smooth and drinking very well now. Should hold but I don’t see this getting any better. Very good. (89 pts.)
  • 1999 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Lighter in colour than the 2000. Big nose here with lots of poopy notes and along with darker fruits, pepper and funk. Really nice nose. On the palate the dark fruit profile continues with well-balanced structure and enough acid to keep things fresh. Drinking really well right now but still has years of improvement ahead of it. Excellent. 90+ (90 pts.)
  • 2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red in colour. The nose on this 01 was just beautiful (and at times reminded me of a Cote Rotie) with floral aromas, white pepper, sweet red fruits, meat and funk. In the mouth this was perfectly balanced with a good dose of everything (fruit, tannin, acidity) and a long, mineral driven finish. This and the ’90 were my WOTN. Great to drink now but this should continue to improve for years to come. Excellent. 92+ (92 pts.)

With various cheeses…

  • 1998 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Corked. NR (flawed)
  • 1995 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red, bricking near rim. Nose was nice with dark red fruit with hints of funk but there was also this metallic note coming through that was slightly off-putting. In the mouth this was well balanced although not as refined and smooth as the ’90. Tannins here a little rougher than the ’90. This was really good but being sandwiched between the ’01 and ’90 didn’t help its case. Fully ready to drink and I don’t see much upside in holding further. Very good. (89 pts.)
  • 1990 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
    Medium red. Another beautiful nose on this ’90 with notes of funk, plummy fruit, tobacco and pepper. In the mouth it’s partially resolved with the acidity giving an element of freshness to this 22 years old wine. Smooth, balanced and quite polished, this medium bodied Donjon is at peak and ready for primetime drinking. This and the ’01 were my WOTN. Excellent. (92 pts.)
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Love the 2001…one of my favorite vintages!

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Bring the 01, if you have it, Paul flirtysmile

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was looking specifically for your 98 notes. DOH!!!

that sucks. had it last night and it was rocking’. it has so many more years ahead.

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Ya the 98 being corked was a real bummer. I only have 3 bottles of it and was looking forward to trying someone else’s before popping my own [wow.gif]

Jordan, based on your experience last night with the 98…it seems its worth popping one now?

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i popped 2 this week, so definitely worth it. 2 hour decant will do it wonders.

even pulled back a few from CC as the wife loved it too

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Good to know, thanks.

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Shoot - I was hoping for some notes on the '08

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Nice notes.

My somewhat similar take on the 2007. Although I seem to have liked it slightly more.

Love the fruit of these wines young.

Cheers!

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